CLIMBER BLOG: Michael Bonfiglio

Why I joined SOTSK

I ended up on Kilimanjaro after Kenna, the SOTSK team, and MTV contacted @radical.media, the company I work for, to create a film to document the expedition. I’d never climbed a mountain before, but after hearing about the project, I knew that whether I made it to the top or not, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

Climbing Kilimanjaro while making a film about the experience at the same time was unbelievably challenging (and given the ridiculously tight schedule we had for both shooting and editing, some might say it was insane). At any given time on the mountain, at least one of us on the film crew was sick and/or miserable, but everyone on our team showed an incredible amount of heart and dedication, maintaining great attitudes and capturing beautiful footage no matter what Kilimanjaro threw our way.

The climbers were extraordinary as well, allowing us complete access to their experiences and embracing us fully as members of their team. No matter how difficult things got, no one ever got irritated or scared about being filmed – even when they knew full well that what we were shooting was quite different from the polished images their fans are accustomed to seeing.

Without the incredible contributions and talents of any individual member of the team, our whole endeavor might have been an utter failure. Instead, we worked together and created something that we are all truly proud to share with the world. One of the things we all took away from this climb is that we can only accomplish so much as individuals, but when we work together anything is possible. This couldn’t be truer of the filmmaking experience. We hope that everyone who sees see the documentary “Summit on the Summit” gets as much out of our adventure as we did.

- Michael Bonfiglio

Director, “Summit on the Summit” Documentary

Justin Timberlake ‘In Awe’ Of ‘Summit On The Summit’ Climb

Film that documents the climb airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

By James Montgomery

Justin Timberlake was there when his pal Kenna decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In fact, he encouraged him to do it, and is “bummed” that his schedule didn’t allow him to join his friend on the trek.

“Kenna and I, every winter, we find a place to go snowboarding, and we were up on a mountain somewhere, snowboarding,” Timberlake told MTV News. “We got onto the lift, and Kenna was talking about how, before, he had tried to climb Kilimanjaro.” And there, the idea for “Summit on the Summit” was hatched.

Unfortunately, due to work conflicts — the trek up Africa’s highest peak was rescheduled several times and ultimately collided with Timberlake’s filming for “The Social Network” — Justin didn’t actually get to make the climb with Kenna. Instead, the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Santigold and actors Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch and Isabel Lucas made the climb up Kilimanjaro, but Timberlake remained close to the action, getting daily updates on the trek.

“I was getting sort of a texting diary from day to day,” Timberlake recalled. “And the one thing I heard was … the hardest part was the last day, obviously, because not only were they climbing from 16,000 to 19,000 feet, but that extra 3,000 was really brutal, because of the altitude. And on top of that, I think they woke up at 2:30 in the morning and had to climb the last 3,000 feet. I heard from all of them that the last 3,000 feet, every breath counted. Every single time you could conserve oxygen, you could feel it. It really counted. … I’m in awe that they did it. I’m really impressed.”

Timberlake did record an introduction to the film that documents the climb — and highlights the global issue of clean water — called “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro.” The 90-minute doc premiered Wednesday night in New York and will air Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. And just because he didn’t actually climb the mountain this time around, don’t count him out just yet.

“I was bummed that I wasn’t able to do it, because I thought it would be a cool thing to do. Maybe one day I will,” he laughed. “But it’s really an inspiring idea and an inspiring task, and I was very proud of everyone who was involved with it. … It says a lot about all the people who were involved in the climb, that they were sort of willing to put themselves out there … to have cameras on them 24/7 and to say, ‘Well, if this has any effect on anyone who’s watching it, or creates any type of awareness, and gets $10 from one person, well, that’s amazing.’ “

Tune in to “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro” Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. And find out what you can do to help solve the global water crisis now at the“Summit on the Summit” Web site.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1633839/20100312/timberlake_justin.jhtml

LUPE GETS IT DONE

On the train ride this morning from DC to NYC, Lupe Fiasco did a radio tour via cellphone promoting the MTV documentary.